Where to?

After agreeing to team up, both of them went to the nearest tavern and discussed the next steps they would take from here. As Alpha and Dave took their first steps beyond the wooden door, they were welcomed with enthusiasm by the customers and the barkeeper. A bit taken aback, Alpha greeted them in return and took a table in the corner of the room. The hearth kept the whole place warm, the smells from the kitchen were subtle and inviting with their mouth-watering aromas, the laughs and cheers from the clientele were heartwarming and the maid's smile was endearing. Both Dave and Alpha could not help but feel at ease.

The maid went to their table and asked if Alpha needed anything, his belly growled in response to her question and he replied that he would take any of her recommendations with a pint of ale. He then turned towards Dave, waiting for his own orders. Dave then noticed something peculiar about his own body. It had been about a day since he arrived but he didn't feel any sense of fatigue or hunger. His body seemed like it was in some sort of stasis. He thought that this could explain why he did not feel pain when Alpha punched him earlier. After a couple of minutes, Alpha realized his mistake. Dave was not able to interact with objects so it was evidence that he could not drink nor eat. Alpha then sent the maid away with a polite smile. Or at least that was what Dave perceived as from his crude facial expression.

They finally had some peace and quiet and resumed their discussion. 

— So... Where to next, my lord? asked Alpha with a wry smile.

— You know, I wasn't actually the only one on the project when I worked on it, replied Dave.

— Oh? I took you for a lone wolf from what you told me earlier. So even you had the need to have some exterior help.

— Not exactly... The thing is, I used an artificial intelligence to assist me through the bulk work. I modified it so it could meet my expectations and my needs.

— And what exactly is an artificial intelligence ?

— Oh, right. If I have to put it simply... It is some kind of man made entity that can think for itself to a certain extent. It's a technology that has become pretty common in my world. Think of it as some sort of "Golem" but with a more complex thought process that can tie with and sometimes outmatch the human mind. It wasn't perfect at first, but with a little bit of fiddling around from my part, I achieved something I can truly acknowledge as my right hand in this project.

— If I get this straight, our next goal is to find this entity, then?

— That's right. We'll need her help. If there is anything that we can do to change the source code, she would be the key to solve our situation. When I was still alive in my old world, her role was to generate a lot of code for trivial things such as the properties of common buildings, the pigmentation of forests, the population of fish in bodies of water and so on. She wrote the lines while I was asleep or away from my apartment and I would verify her work afterwards and greenlight it if it was satisfactory.

— In a way, if you're the actual god of our world, then that would mean she would be a lesser deity.

— When you put it like that, I can't deny her significance. She really helped me stay motivated through the grueling work and refinement of the little details that put together the world of Harksol.

— I see... I cannot help but notice that even if it was an artificial entity, your words toward her are filled with care and sympathy. It is kind of beautiful that even if a being does not hold a real foot into your reality, she still has a special place in your heart.

— Now that you mention it, it looks a little crazy from another point of view, said Dave with an awkward chuckle.

— Whose point of view are we talking about?

— The normal and average human being, I guess? replied Dave with a sigh. Well, our weird relationship aside, let us renew our focus on our objective here.

— I do not find it that weird, but yes, I agree. Let's continue.

— I happen to know exactly where she is because I gave her another role within the game itself. I made her the Queen of the Twilight Kingdom to rule over the people.

— Wait... You mean to tell me that Queen Mia is the entity you are talking about?

— What's so surprising? Almost everything in this world is my creation, of course she's also one of them. And because she had a hand in how this world came about, I couldn't help but feel it was the most logical decision to make her the Queen of one of the main kingdoms of Harksol.

— The castle is up North from here. And it is at least a three-day trip. We will need to prepare tomorrow early in the morning and leave as soon as everything is set, explained Alpha.

— Yup, it looks like a plan to me. By the way you wouldn't happened to already have visited the place by any chance?

— No, it is going to be my first time. Why do you ask?

— Ugh..., sighed Dave in disappointment. Maybe we could have used the "fast travel" feature. I guess it would have been too easy.

— I am aware of this ability, but it would not actually change our pace. We would just black out for three days and magically appeared in front of the gates. And from my understanding, you wanted to live an adventure and explore your own world. Wouldn't it be the perfect opportunity for you to actually experience it?

 — It would be more of a sightseeing experience rather than a full on experience... But I get where you're coming from. And you're right! Might as well get the best of this situation and actually see how my work transformed while being infused with the gift of life.

— Yes, it would also be my first time out of this village. I am feeling a mix of a bit of restlessness and excitement now that I think about it.

 As the two of them talked about the organization of their future journey together, the maid came by their table and served a roasted piece of meat and a pint of ale. Alpha thanked the lady and asked for directions to the bathroom. She pointed out a door at the end of a corridor and Alpha got up and left the table, trusting that his friend would keep an eye on his dish while he was away. What he did not know was that Dave was a bit of a prankster. In his younger days, he was what people from his old world would call a "Troll". Dave proceeded to make the panel code of both the dish and the ale appeared right in front of him before tempering with their properties. After a couple of minutes, Alpha came back and took a sip out of his cup. He spat and made a face that clearly indicated disgust and anger. He looked at Dave and asked him in a chilling voice:

— You wouldn't happen to know why my beverage tastes like spicy roasted meat, would you?

— Well, you did ask for their recommendations. Mia was the one who generated the menus in restaurants and taverns. I briefly looked over them and greenlit them. If you want to put the blame on anyone, then blame your Queen, said Dave with a smirk.

— Alright, alright it was funny. Now, put it back to normal so I can enjoy my meal.

— Right... Here you go! said Dave as he pulled the line of code of the taste of roasted meat from the ale back into the dish.Alpha calmed down a bit. But as he reached toward his first bite, he looked up to Dave who arbored a large malicious smile. Alpha's gaze lit up with a growing rage, his fingers wrapped around the cutlery bent them to the point of almost snapping into pieces.

— What. Did. You. Do? said Alpha slowly, putting an emphasis on each of his words that were coming out of his mouth.

Dave sweated in profusion from panic and quickly rearranged the lines of code of the entire dinner. He knew when people reached their limits and when to stop before having his face punched. Again.